Part 3

Raised by Wolves

"Stop following me." This guy was really starting to piss Hunter off. He was on the main road that led out of Pack Dalton's territory, only he wasn't alone. "Get away from me Bitey McRomeo." Apparently, this sex-crazed wolf had saved his life. Well Hunter would have just as soon died than be subject to the bombardment of thoughts and feelings he was being forced to process now.

"No."

"Why?" Hunter turned to face Sebastian. What a little shit this guy was! As if Hunter couldn't read every single dirty image out of Sebastian's mind for the last half hour. "And stop looking at my ass!"

That gave the slightly taller man pause. "How did you know I was looking?" He said jogging up next to Hunter. "And no. I won't." When Hunter stopped and gave him a pointed look, Sebastian merely smirked. It seemed the man always had a degree of snark in his voice and expressions. That pissed Hunter off even more. Sebastian shrugged and shook his head a little as he spoke. "I can't help it. I was raised by wolves." There was a pause and Sebastian tilted his head. Hunter could feel as the man at his side tugged at the ethereal bond between them. It was called a mating bond. That much he understood, but why would a perfect stranger mate him and save his life? "But you weren't." Sebastian added, catching him off guard for the first time.

"Was that a question?" Hunter marched off like the soldier he was raised to be. If this piece of shit wolf thought he was going to read Hunter like a book, he was dead wrong.

"No, but that was an answer."

And there went Sebastian again, pathing sensually charged emotions and dirty images along the mating bond like crazy. A hornier wolf Hunter thought he'd never find. "You need to stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Stop…thinking…about me...like that." Hunter's words caught Sebastian's attention and Hunter could feel the man working out the implications of that statement. He had to give credit where it was due, this guy was far from stupid.

"You can mind read." Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. "That explains why you didn't sell me out to Wes." His head snapped up to consider Hunter. "What else can you do?"

"Nothing." Hunter stopped walking and faced Sebastian, "And it's not that much of an ability. I see images. Here. There. I don't always get the whole story. But yeah. I gathered enough to know that your life was on the line." It felt weird lying to his mate like this. Probably for the first time in his life Hunter wanted to tell the whole truth. That was strange all by itself.

The smirk was back on Sebastian's face then as he showered Hunter with a torrent of dirty, obvious images that were guaranteed to burn his brain. Hunter tightened his jaw. "Is there ever a time when you aren't thinking about sex?"

Sebastian put his hands in his pockets, so irritatingly at ease, and pretended to think it over, "sometimes when I'm asleep." The green-eyed wolf looked at Hunter as if he wanted to eat him in a good way.

It unsettled Hunter that the thought didn't bother him that much. He'd been conditioned as a young man to think a certain way, and to believe that his path was carefully laid out for him. Now all the rules he'd so prudently followed no longer applied and going off book wasn't something Hunter did well.

"Where are we going?"

"What do you mean we?" Hunter had started walking again and now he realized he didn't even know which direction he was supposed to go.

"I mean. I'm following you, and you are clearly going somewhere. Sebastian gave a knowing smile and glanced quickly at Hunter's lips and a flash of Sebastian kissing him passed quickly through Hunter's mind. Damn, he never should have told Sebastian about any part of this little gift. A guy like this was bound to turn any kind of weakness to his advantage. "You know you can't leave pack territory." He explained calmly. "You might as well come home with me."

Hunter stared at him and let Sebastian path him even more images, this time of a table full of food and a comfortable bed, a bathtub filled with bubbles and surrounded by candles. And there was the two of them sitting in the tub and sipping champagne. He'd lied before. Hunter could read much more than flashes of thought and from Sebastian he could get sounds, smells. It was like stepping into another reality it seemed so tangible. He would have to work on blocking Sebastian's thoughts until he found an opening to leave Dalton Territory.

"Bubbles…Really?" He tried to look annoyed but Sebastian seemed to find him that much cuter.

Another exasperating smirk came Hunter's way, "I was just testing it to see if it worked."

"Well it does. Now stop."

Sebastian shrugged, not really committing one way or the other, making Hunter think he hadn't seen the last of Sebastian's fantasies. "I'm not going to stop helping you. You might as well be comfortable." Sebastian took a deep breath and looked around. "Come home with me. I'll keep my hands and my thoughts to myself. Promise."

"Why? You don't know me. I almost died today. Why are you sticking your neck out?" Hunter half expected another snarky reply, but this time he received no images. This time a timid sense nervousness, fear of rejection maybe, crept down the mating bond. Images were one thing; emotions seemed to give Hunter's gift a new twist where Sebastian was concerned.

"Because you're my mate. And it looks like you don't really know what that means yet. As long as I breathe air, I have to know that you're ok." Sebastian said quietly. It was the first bit of raw honesty the other man had shown. Hunter had picked up on Sebastian's ability to layer himself right away. It was at once intriguing and infuriating. "You almost died today and whoever did that is still out there. I don't want you to go. And even if you did, I wouldn't let you go alone." It was the truth. Hunter could feel as much. Was this what it meant to have a mate? Having someone in his corner right now might actually be a benefit. If things went pear-shaped, though, Sebastian could get hurt and that thought was oddly bothersome.

Because of his gift, Hunter could see much more then he let on. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with feigning surprise when he could tangle in someone's mind and hear their thoughts; he already knew what was coming before it was said. He'd pegged Sebastian as his mate the moment the man entered his cell. It was the strangest thing, having a mate, something he'd only heard about in passing, and his mate was male. He'd never been with a man, but now the thought was knocking at the back of his mind as if to say, 'this is happening'. And Sebastian had been so sincere about not wanting him to get hurt again. This was a proud wolf pack. That was new for Hunter who had spent his life hiding the half bred wolf that lurked beneath his skin. If this guy knew half of what Hunter was responsible for, he never would have given him that mark.

"Okay." Hunter nodded slightly and motioned for Sebastian to lead the way. "I need a little rest anyway. But this is temporary." The statement didn't even sound convincing to his own ears. The smirk was back on Sebastian's face as he led them to a small parking lot just outside a small, Dalton-owned Pub aptly named, 'The Water Bowl,' and pulled a set of keys from his pocket. "You have a car?"

Sebastian smirked at Hunter and smiled from the corner of his mouth. "What? You thought we were going to run through the woods or something?"

Hunter said nothing as they climbed into a very high end black Porsche 911 Turbo. It wasn't brand new, but the condition was superb. The man clearly took care of his car. Music came blaring out of the speakers which Sebastian immediately turned down so they could drive the few miles in companionable silence. A long driveway loomed out before them with a giant house in the center, a three story home that was lit like a Christmas tree. Hunter's family had done alright before he was forced to walk the path of the lone wolf, but this was ridiculous.

A cool look of skepticism crossed Hunter's features, "raised by wolves huh?"

"Hmm." Sebastian nodded as he pulled the car into its parking space, "really fucking rich ones. Come on, I'll get you something to eat."

"…it's not going to be raw right? Like rabbit or whatever?" He couldn't get a good read on Sebastian as the man walked towards the house, but Hunter could hear him chuckling.

Blaine was there and greeted them. "Hi!" His smile was wide and his hazel eyes bright, "I'm Blaine. I live on the third floor. I mean, with my mate. Kurt. He's on night duty, so he won't be in until late. I made you guys sandwiches. I'll just…" Blaine pointed nervously up the stairs, "it was nice meeting you."

Hunter simply nodded, waited for Blaine to leave, and then looked at Sebastian, "he's happy you're still alive and in the pack." Reading minds was something Hunter had to concentrate on in order to shut off, and it had been a very long day.

"Oh. I didn't think they were going to kill me." Sebastian shrugged, "at the worst I'd be homeless."

They ate roast beef hoagies and Hunter hadn't realized how much he needed food until it was placed in front of him. The food was good, the atmosphere warm, and the mating bond that Hunter had been actively ignoring for the last hour pulsed with content. Hunter couldn't help but be affected by it. Was this push and pull of emotions how all mated wolves were? The silence wasn't even awkward as they ate, and Hunter didn't break it until most of the way through their meal. "Ask. I know you want to."

"How long have you been a lone wolf?"

Hunter hadn't actually expected that question. Being surprised took him back a step. "How did you know? Wolf sense?" When Sebastian just continued to stare at him, he shrugged. "A while." More staring. "A good while. I had a job at the Academy. Training cadets."

"Until." Sebastian raised his eyebrows in question.

"Until I didn't have one anymore."

Sebastian blinked at Hunter, offering an unreadable expression and there was an emotion lingering along the fringes of Hunter's consciousness that was not his own. Could that be the mating bond? It had to be. Hunter didn't have the first clue what to make of the fact that he could add emotions to all the visual cues and thoughts he picked up from Sebastian. This was really the person he was supposed to be with? A mate? What in the hell was he supposed to do with that?

Hunter rolled the concept around in his mind while he watched Sebastian put his sandwich down. "Who's trying to kill you?"

Hunter shrugged. "I don't know." It was a lie. Would Sebastian know it? The other man had claimed they couldn't keep secrets, but that had to be a bluff. No one could play their cards as close to their chest as Hunter.

Sebastian sat back and managed to look even more annoyed, "have you ever heard of someone named Damien?"

Another pause and Hunter looked down, trying to fake searching his memory. "No…" He shook his head slowly. "Can't say that I have." A strong pulse of anger shot straight down the mating bond, socking Hunter in the chest as if it were a fist.

"You're full of shit. I know we just met, but I have no intention of letting you get yourself killed. The sooner you start being honest with me, the safer things will be for all of us. You're on pack land and someone after you means they have to go through the pack to hurt you. At the very least, they'll protect me, and I will never stop protecting you. Honesty is paramount. So let me break it down for you, we're mates. And mates can't lie to each other. It's not a choice. It's biology." Sebastian tilted his head and frowned, "So why don't you save us some time and tell me the real story."

After Hunter said nothing and didn't alter his expression, Sebastian stood up from the table. "The guest suite is up the stairs, second floor, first room on the left. It adjoins a bathroom with mine." He was already walking away, the vein in his temple, along with the mating bond, pulsing with frustration. "I'll leave fresh clothes for you in the bathroom." And he was gone. All Hunter could feel was the strong pulse of agitation that was coming from his mate's direction. He had to give Sebastian credit. He never would have guessed Sebastian was so bothered by the lack of information if he hadn't experienced the shared emotion first hand.

Maybe all this was a mistake. Maybe Hunter should have come clean to his mate. Was it really true they couldn't lie to each other? Maybe Sebastian could have helped him, and then again, maybe Hunter would end up with more blood on his hands. Today hadn't been his day to die, but it apparently had been his day to find a mate. Whatever that meant, it guaranteed his life was about to turn even more upside down.

The last thing he remembered was reading the mind of the man about to shoot him. "Dirty half breed, better off dead." Hunter knew the shots were coming and he could do nothing about them. It was as if he were watching himself in a dirty Harry movie where he was on the wrong side of Clint Eastwood's gun. He didn't remember anything that happened with his mate, but from his point of view, a total stranger had saved his life. The mark on Hunter's shoulder tingled and he reached up to brush his fingers over it. Mate. He tested the word out on his tongue. How could that be possible? Hunter had been running frantically for days when he'd finally been run down. He wasn't even sure how he'd gotten to Dalton territory, and hadn't given being part of a pack much thought before his current predicament. Now he was stuck here until he figured a way out.

The stairs were ornate and wound upward to the second floor. How many rooms did this place have? It was huge. At least Sebastian had given him easy directions to follow. Hunter found his room right away. There were long windows to allow for lots of natural light and the bedding as well as the accent furniture was stark white. The day had taken a toll, and he was far more exhausted than he realized as he showered and crawled into the ultra-comfortable guest bed. "I was raised by wolves…" He mocked and cut the light out before falling into a deep sleep.

The images came slow and lazy in the middle of the night. The smell of aftershave. The feel of lips along his neck. Someone was kissing him. Hands sliding beneath the covers caressed his hip bone, his thigh. Hunter cocked his leg out lazily, enjoying the attention. He knew enough to know when he was dreaming. No one had come into his room.

"Can you blow my whistle baby?" He mumbled, and nothing more needed to be said. A head slid beneath the blanket and settled between his legs, taking Hunter's length in long, lazy strokes, caressing him, learning every curve and vein. Hunter wasn't circumcised and the person giving him the blow job seemed to take special pleasure in teasing his foreskin. By now Hunter had figured out that Sebastian was the one doing the blowing. What an odd, lucid dream this was. Not that it mattered. It felt too fucking good.

The slow caress of lips gradually became a more insistent, demanding pace and Hunter felt the tug low in his belly that signaled the start of his orgasm. "Fuck. Just like that." This was going to feel so good. He needed this after the day he'd had. "So close Bastian..."

Just as he felt he might explode, the entire scene changed. Sebastian was no longer there, all sensation was gone, and sitting on top of Hunter's bedspread was a large, child's carousel about the size of a pizza. It was spinning around and around on top of the blankets making a truly annoying sound.

"What the fuck?!" Hunter jumped out of bed his very empty bed, his cock still aching and unsatisfied, and charged straight through the bathroom grabbing a towel on his way. He kicked open the door that opened into Sebastian's room. The man was there, sitting comfortable on his bed. A sheet barely covered his erection and exposed most of his long body. To his side was the same carousel from Hunter's vivid dream. "You don't get to invade to my dreams, just like that."

"But you get to read my mind, along with everyone else's. That's fair." Sebastian looked a little more than smug as he spoke.

"Whoever you think you are…"

"Your mate." Sebastian shrugged and set the carousel aside. "And don't ever fucking lie to me again."